Red togs nice, but don't help in ending skid

With Arkansas bringing a seven-game SEC road losing streak to Auburn on Saturday, Coach Houston Nutt figured it was time to change things up.
So, when the Razorbacks came into their locker room at Jordan-Hare Stadium, they found red pants waiting for them.
It was the first time Arkansas has worn red pants since last year's game at Kentucky.
"I thought it was cool," Arkansas junior guard Kenny Sandlin said of donning red pants again. "I thought everybody's face sparked up when we walked in and saw them.
"I know we lost, but I thought we played better than we had been. ... You saw people playing with emotion and having fun."
Sophomore tailback Fred Talley said some of the players would like to make wearing red pants a permanent part of the Razorbacks' road uniforms.
It doesn't seem that farfetched a notion considered the cover of this season's media guide pictures Coach Houston Nutt surrounded by players wearing red pants.
"Kids like those type of things, I know red pants helps in recruiting," said Fitz Hill, Arkansas' receivers coach and recruiting coordinator. That's why we put (the players in red pants) in on the cover media guide.
"It's kind of trendy."
For the record, the Razorbacks are now 2-2 under Nutt when wearing red pants. That includes victories at Memphis in 1998 and at SMU in 1999, a loss at Kentucky in 1999 and Saturday's loss.

SNOUTIN' OFF
TALLEY HO!
Cedric Cobbs no longer is Arkansas' leading rusher this season.
Sophomore tailback Fred Talley overtook Cobbs -- who hasn't played in the last four games since suffering a season-ending shoulder injury -- by rushing for 161 yards on 26 carries against the Tigers.
Talley, who missed two games earlier this season with a broken hand, now leads Arkansas with 321 yards on 56 carries. Cobbs is second with 291 yards on 70 carries.

AT HOME ON PLAINS
Arkansas' last SEC road victory came at Auburn, two years ago, when the Razorbacks beat the Tigers 24-21.
That was part of eight-game home SEC losing streak the Tigers suffered from 1998-99.
But the Tigers have turned that around this season with a 3-0 record in SEC home games.
"For two years we couldn't win an SEC game at home, and now we can't lose one," Auburn senior cornerback Larry Casher said.
Auburn, which also has beaten Wyoming, Northern Illinois and Louisiana Tech at home this season, will go for a 7-0 finish at Jordan-Hare when it plays Georgia on Nov. 11 after an open date.

NICE TO SEE 'YA AGAIN
After one play when Arkansas defensive end Jermaine Petty tackled Auburn tailback Rudi Johnson, the two smacked one another's hands, the way teammates might after a good play.
That's because Petty and Johnson were teammates. They played together at Butler County (Kan.) Community College in 1998, helping the team win a national junior college championship.
Johnson also played Saturday against another former Butler teammate, Arkansas rover Corey Harris.
"I talked to Jermaine and Corey a lot on the field, but it there was no trash talk, just good talk," Johnson said. "We were making sure each other were all right."

BUTLER DID IT
Sophomore punter Richie Butler was a great weapon for the Razorbacks, averaging 49 yards on six attempts, including a 58-yarder that drove Clifton Robinson back so far that he didn't realize he had a foot in his own end zone. Robinson fielded the kick and was tackled at the Auburn 7.
Butler threw an interception on a fake punt, but that worked as a nice pooch punt, with Auburn getting the ball on its 5.

JACKSON PROUD ALUM
Keith Jackson, the analyst on Arkansas' radio broadcast, was clapping his hands and singing "Boomer Sooner," at halftime.
That's because Oklahoma -- where Jackson was an All-American tight end -- had just beaten No. 1 Nebraska 31-14.
"The Sooners are No. 1 again," Jackson said. "Can you believe it?"

UNNECESSARY CELEBRATION
John McDonnell, who has coached Arkansas to a combined 35 national championships in cross country and track and field since 1984, probably would have gotten a chuckle out a pregame ceremony at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Auburn honored its track team for a third-place finish at last year's NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Any time McDonnell's teams don't win a championship -- conference or national -- he calls it a loss.

THE GOOD
Arkansas' offensive line had its best game of the season, considering the competition. The line opened the holes that helped Fred Talley rush for 161 yards and didn't allow any sacks.

THE BAD
After Arkansas junior bandit Derrick Johnson forced Auburn tailback Rudi Johnson out of bounds during a second-quarter play, D. Johnson struck a stiff pose and appeared to be mocking R. Johnson. It looked ridiculous considering that R. Johnson had gained 19 yards on the play. Arkansas offensive line coach Mike Markuson, who was standing next to D. Johnson on the sideline when it happen, immediately got in his face and told him to get back on the field.

This article was published on Sunday, October 29, 2000

RETURN to main page

Copyright and permissions
Copyright © 2000, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. All rights reserved.
This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc.